Read-a-thon set for South Jackson
Second-grade students from South Jackson Elementary School in Jackson County will join millions of children, parents and teachers from around the world Friday for "Scholastic Read for 2005," the sixth annual children's read-a-thon.

Series helps young fans learn about university mascots
Two years ago, Aimee Aryal and her husband were on a mission. The couple, both graduates of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), wanted to find a children's book based on their university's beloved mascot, Hokie Bird.

Beechwood update
Colonial Promenade Beechwood may be getting ready for some new tenants in the Alps Road shopping center, based on information out of the Athens-Clarke County Planning Department.

Credit chaos at Christmas
he National Retail Federation predicts American consumers will spend almost $220 billion this season, and during that buying furor, plenty of holiday shoppers will discover their eyes are bigger than their pocketbooks.

Newsmaker nominations sought
They all have stirred debate - some while building up Northeast Georgia, others while tearing it apart. But they certainly grabbed our attention as well as a few headlines along the way. Some came from atop ivory towers, others from below radar. Some came from sports fields, others concert venues. From boardrooms and backrooms to courtrooms and classrooms, they all have one thing in common.

Credit union merges with GFCU network
Georgia Federal Credit Union (GFCU) was approved to accept Educators' Credit Union in Clarke County as a merger partner. Educators' Credit Union was a $1 million credit union that served the Athens-Clarke County School District with approximately 700 members. GFCU is serving these new members through the branch at 190 Gaines School Road and an ATM in downtown Athens.

Chastain named partner with firm
Athens-based marketing and consulting firm Snowden Tatarski Advertising has added Matt Chastain as a partner to the firm. Chastain will continue to oversee operations and client services for the company's local and regional clients. Chastain has headed media planning and broadcast production at Snowden Tatarski since joining the firm two years ago.

Harris joins BOS Temps as representative
Jeffrey T. Harris recently joined BOS Temporaries Inc. as an account representative. He is working throughout the business, but is primarily responsible for new customer development and marketing.

Johnson new medical director at Advantage
Dr. Robin Johnson has joined the staff of Advantage Behavioral Health Systems as the agency's medical director. She comes to Advantage with psychiatric experience gained from working with agencies such as the Fulton County Community Service Board and a Veteran's Administration Hospital in Virginia.

Fraud and scams
A new version of an old con is gaining steam in the auto, motorcycle and boat community. Forget the fake personal checks written on non-existent bank accounts, these swindlers are more sophisticated, with certified checks or a phony escrow service.

Race policy on eBay
SAN FRANCISCO - Ebay Inc. will allow listings that include racist words only if they are part of a book, movie or other product title.

Carroll: Merck's record reflects two different faces
For most of its recent history, Merck, the pharmaceutical giant, has been viewed as an upstanding corporate citizen. During the period 2000-2004, Merck ranked in Business Ethics magazine's ranking of 100 best corporate citizens. Last January, Global Finance magazine named Merck to its list of most socially responsible firms in the world.

Nelson: Use caution when deciding where to make donations
Though retail stores actually began promoting Christmas merchandise even before little goblins and ghosts had visited our doorways for Halloween, the day after Thanksgiving - "Black Friday" - serves as the official launch of the often frenzied holiday period.

Woman finds storage unit broken into
A woman told police that $2,600 worth of items were stolen from her storage shed at Extra Storage off Lexington Road between noon and 2:30 p.m. Saturday, according to reports.

Police respond to alarm at The Point store
Police were dispatched to The Point, a rental-purchase store off West Broad Street, Sunday morning after the store's alarm system went off after someone smashed a window, according to police reports.

Man hits mailboxes, street sign in accident
Vincente Valdez of Elkview Drive was charged with driving without a license, no proof of insurance, improper driving and improper tag display following a 3:10 p.m. accident Friday, according to Athens-Clarke police. Valdez left the roadway as he headed west on Vincent Drive in a 2000 Mustang, hitting two mailboxes, a street sign and a culvert, police said. Valdez, who told police he had fallen asleep, was taken to Athens Regional Medical Center for treatment of his injuries.

Toolbox, tools stolen from yard
A man told police that a large toolbox with tools valued at $2,000 were stolen from the yard of his Spring Valley Road residence between Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m., according to reports.

Lewis: The ACTION 5!
Stanley Kubrick's satirically cautionary Cold War tale of one lone yahoo seizing power through fear and propaganda in order to carry out his own twisted agenda remains as fresh, funny and jarringly relevant today as ever.

Rudolph turns the big 4-0!
The story of the little reindeer with the shining red nose returns at 8 p.m. Wednesday on CBS, a charming tale of overcoming adversity and achieving success that has entertained children and their parents for 40 years - the longest-running holiday animation ever.

Phillips: Music through the ages
It's an odd thing, really, but I've noticed, at least among friends, that as we grow older it seems the importance of music in our lives dwindles. In high school, there are those bands whose music becomes the soundtrack of our teens (for better or worse - um, usually worse), and the college years usually lead to more musical discovery.

Lewis: Adjusting to a pregnant holiday season
I always have been one to agree this is, indeed, the most wonderful time of the year, though I'm finding a shift in my perspective as I approach it now in such a pregnant state. I initially had looked ahead with great satisfaction knowing I'd be farthest along during the winter months - no concern of bathing suits or battling the heat, but there were details I overlooked.

Joy on a string
R.C. Rique/Staff
Papier-mach ornament hand-painted and stamped by Tracy Young at Hilltop Studios; available at the Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation Holiday Market and the Woodhill Holiday Art Sale for $8-12.

Today in History
Today is Sunday, Nov. 28, the 333rd day of 2004. There are 33 days left in the year.

State your color
Crayola called on crayon fans to come up with new color names based on their home states, and the company recently released the results - the limited-edition "State Crayon Collection."

Charity a ticket home for woman
Julie lived on the streets of Athens, off and on, for almost 10 years. During that time, both her physical and mental health deteriorated, and she needed care that she couldn't get here because she wasn't a citizen of the United States.

Soon-to-be UGA grads showcase their work
Eleven soon-to-be University of Georgia fine arts graduates will showcase their work for the next two weeks at the Lamar Dodd School of Arts Visual Arts Building.

Children snug in eclectic styles
'Twas the night before Christmas and ... you know the rest. Skip over "not a creature was stirring" and get right to the children nestled "all snug in their beds."

Today in History
Today is Monday, Nov. 29, the 334th day of 2004. There are 32 days left in the year.

Backup QB leads Rebels to Golden Egg
OXFORD, Miss. - Backup quarterback Robert Lane had 205 total yards with a touchdown pass and a touchdown run in Mississippi's 20-3 win over Mississippi State on Saturday.

Notebook: Bulldogs going national
Georgia picked up a pair of significant additions to its 2005 recruiting class this weekend when North Augusta safety/wide receiver C.J. Byrd and New Jersey defensive tackle Kade Weston gave the Bulldog commitments.

Title game spectators
For the first time since Mark Richt's debut season in Athens, the day after a Georgia victory over Georgia Tech did not include preparation for an SEC Championship showdown six days later in Atlanta.

Coutu gets his chance to shine
Georgia kicker Brandon Coutu has waited all year for the opportunity to attempt his first collegiate field goal. He just didn't know it would come in the fourth quarter of the season finale against Georgia Tech with the Bulldogs holding a skinny three-point lead.

Senior moments
Georgia senior defensive end David Pollack stood posed like a statue on the Sanford Stadium field, his hands raised toward the heavens in victory.

Fan spends 58 years in same seat
Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak and Cal Ripken's 2,632 consecutive games played come to mind when the topic of famous streaks comes up.

Senior moments
Georgia senior defensive end David Pollack stood posed like a statue on the Sanford Stadium field, his hands raised toward the heavens in victory.

Bulldogs defense makes most of bad situation
Georgia Tech struck for all of its points in the third quarter of the Yellow Jackets' narrow 19-13 loss against No. 8 Georgia Saturday, but considering everything, it could have been much worse.

Georgia Report Card
Georgia rushed for a season-low 34 yards against a team that allowed 207 yards on the ground to Virginia last Saturday. The Bulldogs had 91 gross yards, but sacks and tackles behind the line of scrimmage accounted for minus-57 yards, leaving Georgia with the paltry total. Quarterback D.J. Shockley wasn't able to get outside the pocket and was sacked four times. Georgia's longest run was 11 yards.

Half of those 'at risk' not vaccinated
The state of Georgia will get less than half the flu vaccine needed to protect the state's most vulnerable groups, such as older people and young children, according to state Department of Human Resources estimates.

Flu shortage sparks look at vaccine production
WASHINGTON - For five decades, billions of arms have been injected with flu shots containing clear liquid drawn from 11-day-old fertilized chicken eggs. Companies inject the eggs with flu strains. The eggs become tiny incubators, brewing viruses that are then killed and bottled in vials. The nation's entire flu vaccine supply is produced that way, including the 48 million shots that Chiron Corp. can't sell this season because of manufacturing problems in England.

Influenza cases slowly spreading
ATLANTA - The flu season continues to move slowly in the United States, with only two states - Delaware and New York - reporting significant influenza activity, the government reported.

Fitness program encourages moms to work out with kids
ALPHARETTA - At first, Julia DeCredico pushed her three toddlers - Claudia, Joseph and Davis - in a stroller to help calm them down when fussy. Now, the 22-month-old triplets go on morning strolls with their mother, regardless of their moods.

Football intro illustrated 'entitlement' mindset
Much of the fuss about the recent lead-in to ABC's "Monday Night Football" misses the main point as to why it was offensive. I don't side with the "puritanical" element in our society that sees anything sexual as objectionable. There is much worse available to young people through video games, the Internet and cable TV.

Terrapin is only marketing beer
I continue to be annoyed about Terrapin beer. It's bad enough that cable television's Turner South recognizes Terrapin's contract-brewed beer as the Best Brewery in the South, but I would think the people of Athens would be smarter than that.

Letter was based on widely circulated Internet rant
The submission from Dan Hoggard (Letters, Nov. 24) is a purely bigoted rant which has been widely circulated on the Internet since around 9/11 and unwittingly published by numerous newspapers as a letter to the editor.

Mountaineers solve LSU at home
BATON ROUGE, La. - Tyrone Sally scored 22 points to lead West Virginia to a 84-69 victory over LSU on Saturday, snapping the Tigers' streak of 56 consecutive home wins against nonconference opponents.

Williams, Head lift No. 5 Illini
INDIANAPOLIS - Deron Williams and Luther Head each scored 20 points to lead No. 5 Illinois to an 89-72 victory over No. 24 Gonzaga on Saturday in the John Wooden Tradition.

Phillips: There's something about Bridget
There's a little bit of the truth, a little bit of the ridiculous in "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason," the sequel to 2001's runaway hit "Bridget Jones's Diary," that brings British wonder girl Bridget (Renée Zelweger) back into the hearts of women everywhere.

Ups and downs in 'Tent City' limits
Caren White normally volunteers at the Oconee Street United Methodist Church's Our Daily Bread soup kitchen, but on Friday she did not because some home repairs needed her attention.

Halliburton lost track of property in Iraq
WASHINGTON - A third or more of the government property Halliburton Co. was paid to manage for the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq could not be located by auditors, investigative reports to Congress show.

Tanker spills oil, creating 20-mile slick
PHILADELPHIA - A tanker spilled 30,000 gallons of crude oil into the Delaware River between Philadelphia and southern New Jersey, creating a 20-mile-long slick that threatened fish and birds, Coast Guard officials said Saturday.

River Network seeks award nominations
The Georgia River Network is seeking nominations for the first Georgia River Network River Celebration Awards, which is designed to celebrate the successes and dedicated efforts of river activists in the state.

Proposal could hurt towing businesses
Some days in the towing business are hectic. It's a game day against an SEC rival like Auburn or Tennessee, and frustrated fans are parking their cars in driveways and fire lanes. Or, it's stormy, traffic lights are out, and drivers are skidding into each other all over Athens. Or, it's some other big event day that brings a combination of problems - wayward parking, car crashes and DUI drivers.

Man finds 'cool' career in forensics
ATLANTA - In the 1980s, when Rick Snow went back to college to prepare for his new career as a forensic anthropologist, most people didn't know what he was talking about.

Official says an assassination attempt urged against Bush
BOGOTA, Colombia - Colombia's main rebel group asked followers to mount an assassination attempt against President Bush during his visit to Colombia last week, Defense Minister Jorge Uribe said. There was no evidence Saturday that rebels even tried to organize such an attack.

Small company's invention playing big security role
WASHINGTON - The reason Brown International got into the business of guarding the president with a sophisticated radar command center is really quite simple, its officers say. Repairing televisions just wasn't paying enough.

Sunni leader says move to delay elections gaining force
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A leading Sunni politician said Saturday that a movement to delay Iraq's Jan. 30 elections was gaining momentum, while rebels briefly occupied city hall in a town north of Baghdad before being driven out by U.S. and Iraqi forces, officials said.

National park chief signs off on trail through Smokies
The chief of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has signed off on a route for a major, 290-mile foot trail that eventually will meander from north Georgia to the northeast end of the country's most-visited national park.

Walton sheriff gets enforcement grant
MONROE - The Walton County Sheriff's Office has received a $32,300 grant from the Governor's Office of Highway Safety for a 10-month traffic enforcement and anti-drunken driving campaign.

Palestinian security unit to be dismantled
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - The Palestinian Authority said Saturday it will disband a small security unit tainted by accusations of abuse, an initial step toward reforming its bloated network of overlapping and competing security forces.

Study finds links in blue crab crash
Two researchers at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography in Savannah have offered an explanation for the recent decline in Georgia's blue crab population that has devastated one of the state's most important coastal fisheries.

Largest earthquake since October hits
MOUNT St. HELENS - A 3.1-magnitude earthquake shook the crater at Mount St. Helens on Saturday, the strongest quake at the volcano since mid-October.

U.S. Marines amid Fallujah's rubble mull over city's future
FALLUJAH, Iraq - At first glance, the U.S. Marines saw nothing extraordinary about a baby crib in the corner of a bombed-out house in Fallujah. But when Lance Cpl. Nick Fenezia threw back the blankets, a Kalashnikov rifle and bulletproof vest lay on the tiny mattress.

Political crisis key concern for world
KIEV, Ukraine - The name Ukraine literally means "at the edge," and the world often treated it just that way - as a distant, vaguely noticed expanse overshadowed by Russia to the east and the dynamically developing former communist nations to its west.

Ukraine's parliament declares election for president invalid
KIEV, Ukraine - Ukraine's parliament declared the country's disputed presidential election invalid Saturday amid international calls for a new vote, fueling what has become a political tug-of-war between the West and Moscow over the future of this former Soviet republic.

Gay advocate to benefit from Republican background
ATLANTA - Chuck Bowen doesn't sound like your typical gay-rights crusader. The 48-year-old openly gay South Carolina native made two failed bids for public office in his home state as a Republican and considers former President Richard Nixon to be his personal hero.

Trend may force hospitals to close
ATLANTA - Georgia hospitals could be forced to shutter some of their programs or close down altogether if a recent trend of shrinking reimbursements from the state Medicaid program isn't reversed, administrators and a hospital advocacy group say.

Thompson: AK-47 may become enduring visual image of war
The UH-1 "Huey" helicopter has taken its place in history as the iconic representation of the war in Vietnam, and the lasting image from the first Persian Gulf war will be video images of "smart bombs" finding - most of the time - their narrowly prescribed targets in Baghdad.

Forum: Young people haven't changed, but issues more difficult
As I sat last week in the office of Matt Garrett, director of the National Football League's "Play It Smart" program at Clarke Central High School - a program designed to take high-school athletes' passion for sports and translate it into other areas of life - I couldn't help but flash back 43 years, to the last time I had addressed a group of high-school football players.

Holmes: Miracle needed to get Europe behind policy
Iran's ruling mullahs pulled off an impressive feat of diplomatic maneuver recently. Tehran seemed to hand the Bush administration and the EU-3 - France, Germany, and Great Britain - a triumph when it agreed to suspend its efforts to enrich uranium, a key building block for atomic weapons, and to enter into open-ended talks with the European governments. In reality, Iran isolated its archenemy, the United States, while reaping an assortment of benefits.

Americans shop, but they do give to charity, too
The holiday shopping season kicked off this weekend, and it's a sure bet that almost as soon as the first set of numbers on this year's Thanksgiving holiday retail sales come rolling in, there will follow the usual laments about how this is a nation dedicated to throwing large amounts of money at consumer goods, all the while ignoring the true spirit of the holidays, a spirit of giving.

Afghan drug trade booming
Why am I such a party pooper? Trust me, I desperately want to be like those happy-go-lucky folks in the red states who apparently think things are hurtling along just fine. Unfortunately, the facts keep bridling my optimism.

Winders: Political divisions portray ugly Americans
Cathy Weigel, what are you still doing here? Don't know if you remember Weigel or not, but she spent about 14:59 of her 15 minutes of fame this spring when she became the one millionth donor to Sen. John Kerry's presidential campaign Web site.

Use caution during holiday shopping trips
Since early Friday morning, this year's holiday shopping season has been in full swing. And if this year is anything like years past, the media will occasionally carry reports of people whose outings to the local mall ended with a parking lot robbery or other mishap.

Jefferson boys win tip-off tourney
Keonte Keith scored 20 points to lead Jefferson to a 74-46 win over Winder-Barrow Saturday and the Tabo's Tip-Off Tournament championship on the Dragons' home floor.

Greene County picks up road win
SPARTA - Zeporia Porter scored 12 points and Whitley Wright added 11 to lead the Greene County girls basketball team to a 33-29 win over Hancock Central Friday.

Devils dominate Bowdon
ATLANTA - Todd Coley passed for 200 yards and Jeremy Marshall rushed for 152 as Hawkinsville earned a return trip to the Class A state championship with a 36-14 win over Bowdon in a semifinal game Saturday.

Gladiators come up a little short
MORROW - The Clarke Central boys basketball team put on a strong rally in the third quarter, but host Morrow had enough left in the final period to hold on for a 63-60 win in the championship game of the Arrowhead Classic.

Russia, France tied at Fed Cup final
MOSCOW - French Open champion Anastasia Myskina pulled Russia into a 1-1 tie with defending champion France at the Fed Cup final Saturday after U.S. Open winner Svetlana Kuznetsova lost the first singles match.

Boston's Martinez meets with Mets GM
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic - Free agent Pedro Martinez met with the general manager of the New York Mets in his home country, a month after helping the Boston Red Sox win their first World Series title since 1918, a baseball source told The Associated Press.

James youngest to 2,000
CLEVELAND - LeBron James scored 26 points to become the youngest player in NBA history to reach 2,000 in a career, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 96-74 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night.

Knicks hold off Raptors
NEW YORK - Jamal Crawford scored 30 points, Stephon Marbury had 15 assists and Tim Thomas scored 17 to lead New York past Toronto 108-102 on a Saturday of season-highs for several Knicks.

Crumpler gets open to cripple Saints
ATLANTA - Michael Vick and Alge Crumpler work on this in practice. When the quarterback is forced to scramble, the tight end finds a way to get open.

Fan spends 58 years in same seat
Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak and Cal Ripken's 2,632 consecutive games played come to mind when the topic of famous streaks comes up.

Volleyball: Tech up in first round
Not knowing if it was in the field of 64 or not, Georgia had some anxious moments when it gathered together at Stegeman Coliseum Sunday evening to watch the NCAA volleyball tournament selection show on ESPNEWS.

Augustus' 16 points leads No. 2 Tigers
BOULDER, Colo. - Seimone Augustus had 16 points and six assists, and No. 2 LSU used a smothering defense to overwhelm Colorado 75-44 in the championship game of the Coors Classic Saturday night.

Lady Dogs take third
HONOLULU - Four Georgia players scored in double figures to lead the No. 3 Lady Bulldogs to an 87-68 win over Santa Clara in the consolation game of the Rainbow Wahine Classic on Sunday.